As we ask the industry to start reopening, the least we can do is to prioritise essential staff for vaccinations.

That’s why we, in Mauritius, have declared tourism staff as essential front-line staff and are offering vaccinations to everyone who works in the tourism sector as a priority, alongside healthcare workers and the vulnerable.

This means that from the very start of our vaccination programme we have been vaccinating hotel employees, airport and airline staff, alongside doctors and care workers, to ensure they are fully protected for when travel restrictions are lifted.

So far, we are the only country in the world to take this action but with tourism so essential to the global economy, it’s vital that others follow suit.

By classifying tourism staff as essential front-line workers, we are showing our commitment to the industry which has endured so much in the last year. What better way for the industry to signal its confidence for the future?

Tourism is crucial to Mauritius, like it is for many nations similar to ours. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Mauritius welcomed up to 1.4 million visitors a year, with tourism accounting for around 25% of our GDP.

Due to the pandemic, that number fell to almost nothing. It was devastating for our tourism industry.

But we have been steadfast in our decision to keep our island safe and have been determined not to risk the lives of Mauritians by reopening too soon, no matter how tempting it was when we saw other nations opening to holiday traffic.

Right at the start of the pandemic, Mauritius took the difficult – but necessary – decision to restrict international arrivals to stop the spread of Covid-19 onto our island.

We immediately implemented a strict arrival protocol which stands to this day, including multiple PCR tests and a 14-day quarantine period for all citizens, residents and visitors.

This meant we were one of the first countries to be able to safely lift its national lockdown, meaning everyday life has continued with near normality since June 2020 – we opened our borders and started welcoming visitors back from 1 October 2020.

‘We do not operate in a bubble’

While the initial batch of vaccines is being given to front-line tourism staff, the 14-day quarantine period will remain in place.

International visitors will also have to present valid Covid-19 vaccination certificates in order to give public health experts and scientists an opportunity to analyse the roll-out, but we hope those restrictions will also be lifted over time.

With no Covid-19 in the community, shops, hotels, restaurants, cinemas and bars are all open – and we can’t wait to share our island with visitors once again.

But we do not operate in a bubble. For the worldwide travel industry to re-open safely and irreversibly, it is vital other countries also put their tourism staff right at the top of vaccination agenda.

Nilen Vencadasmy is chair of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Agency.